Not as annoying as light pollution and clouds, both of which usually keep us from seeing the aurora even here.
The magnetic latitude of my location is about 52.2N, a full ten degrees farther north than the ordinary geographic latitude, but we still get to actually see the aurora here only a couple of times a decade.
The news media and popular venues like Facebook are full of misrepresentations and exaggerations over this latest solar "event." People are warning each other to shield their computers against corruption by solar radiation and other absurdities. I'm sure some of them have been wearing tinfoil hats too. The truth is, that this even only looks spectacular because we've recently developed the ability to observe and record the physical events in greater detail. A C3 flare or eruption is a pretty small one. Wait till they get the new, better view of a class X event. They'll be running for the abandoned fallout shelters I'm sure.
This is aggravated by the solar cycle itself. People have short memories. When ten years have passed without such events, their return makes them seem scary and threatening again.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-08-05 12:17 pm (UTC)The magnetic latitude of my location is about 52.2N, a full ten degrees farther north than the ordinary geographic latitude, but we still get to actually see the aurora here only a couple of times a decade.
The news media and popular venues like Facebook are full of misrepresentations and exaggerations over this latest solar "event." People are warning each other to shield their computers against corruption by solar radiation and other absurdities. I'm sure some of them have been wearing tinfoil hats too. The truth is, that this even only looks spectacular because we've recently developed the ability to observe and record the physical events in greater detail. A C3 flare or eruption is a pretty small one. Wait till they get the new, better view of a class X event. They'll be running for the abandoned fallout shelters I'm sure.
This is aggravated by the solar cycle itself. People have short memories. When ten years have passed without such events, their return makes them seem scary and threatening again.